Slice of Life

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan charity that collects donated clothing, shoes and other items for low-income residents got a really old cast-off in a donation box: A mastodon tooth.

The Grand Rapids Press reports the remains of the extinct relative of the elephant turned up during a July pickup in Grand Rapids. The charity called In The Image turned them over to the Grand Rapids Public Museum, which is adding them to its collection.

The tooth is broken into two parts and is covered in lacquer. A tusk, also covered in lacquer, is hollow at one end and also may be from a mastodon.

The museum already has a number of mastodon bones and the new additions will be available for loan to educators for use as a learning tool in schools.

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Knit TV

STAVANGER, Norway (AP) — In its latest experiment with live coverage of mundane events, Norway’s public broadcasting network plans to dedicate five hours of air-time to an attempt to break the knitting world record.

The NRK network says the Nov. 1 broadcast will be preceded by a four-hour documentary on how the wool off a sheep’s back turns into a sweater.

NRK producer Rune Moeklebust said that “it’s kind of ordinary TV but very slow, although they’ll be knitting as fast as they can.”

The Norwegians hope to break the current nonstop knitting record of 4 hours 50 minutes, held by Australia.

Live TV in Norway has already enticed viewers with minute-by-minute salmon fishing, a five-day broadcast from a cruise-ship, and several hours of watching a fire burn itself out.

Bartender’s big tip

SPRINGFIELD, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon bartender got the tip of a lifetime this week.

The Register-Guard newspaper reports that a customer at Conway’s Restaurant and Lounge in Springfield often tips bartender Aurora Kephart with unplayed tickets for the state lottery’s Keno game.

This time, one of those tickets turned into a $17,500 winner.

Kephart says the look on the customer’s face was incredible. The 25-year-old tried to give him back the ticket, but he wouldn’t take it.

After collecting her money, she gave the patron some of her winnings.

Kephart says she plans to use her share to buy a new couch and then save the rest.

False alarm

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A frantic effort to save what was believed to be a puppy trapped in an upstate New York city’s sewer system has a happy ending.

That’s because there was no trapped puppy, just a sewer system that sounds like one.

Local media outlets report city workers in Utica received a call from employees at an insurance office reporting what sounded like a puppy trapped beneath the building.

Firefighters and utility employees joined the effort as crews used tools and a backhoe to dig a hole to gain access to a sewer. After two hours of searching, they realized there wasn’t an animal trapped in a pipe.

Officials say a mechanical problem in the sewer mimicked the sound of an animal in distress. They’re looking into fixing the problem.

Marathon dog

EVANSVILLE, Ind. (AP) — An Indiana dog who became an Internet sensation after crashing a half marathon has won a medal — and an appointment with a veterinarian to nip his wandering ways in the bud.

The chocolate Labrador retriever named Boogie ran most of the 13.1 miles in Saturday’s Evansville event and then was taken to Animal Control.

Owner Jerry Butts tells the Evansville Courier & Press that the 100-pound dog slipped his leash Friday night. It was his fourth escape.

Butts says Boogie now has a microchip and an appointment to be neutered.

Boogie finished the race in 2 hours, 15 minutes. That’s better than more than half of the race’s participants.